this morning on "early today," wall street whiplash. the wild up and down swings this week in stocks continue. test flight failed. the fastest aircraft ever built ends up in the pacific ocean. and what a difference a day makes. in 24 hours some canadian plant workers hear some really bad news and then some really good workers hear some really bad news and then some really good news. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello. and very good morning to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with a record

breaking roller coaster ride. wall street saw yet another day of volatile trading thursday, this time on the up side as investors and analysts scratch their heads trying to come up with clues as to when it will all end and where the market is ultimately headed. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: it was another wild ride on wall street with the dow recovering more than 420 points and climbing back over the 11,000 mark. >> i would like to believe so, but i think it's way too early to tell. >> reporter: the market picked up on news that germany and france are meeting next week, and italy is promising strict reforms in return for eu help. a better-than-expected report on u.s. jobless claims helped but investors are still rung scared. >> i think americans are looking at washington and looking at europe and saying does anyone really know what's going on? do these people know what they're doing? that's leading to the volatility. >> reporter: president obama was in michigan talking about the jobs america needs and the jobs

washington isn't doing. >> there is nothing wrong with our country. there is something wrong with our politics. >> reporter: on capitol hill the last seats were filled on the so-called supercommittee charged with slashing spending over the next decade. one tea party member is declaring tax increases are off the table. >> i think the most important thing is to make credible reductions in the size of the deficit. i think that's got to come from the spending side. >> reporter: the supercommittee has until thanksgiving to agree on $1.5 trillion in cuts. and if they can't agree, there will be $1.2 trillion in automatic reductions evenly divided between defense and discretionary spending, cut s neither side wants. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. as brian just mentioned, yesterday house minority leader nancy pelosi filled out the final three slots on the committee charged with cutting the nation's debt. pelosi chose south carolina's james clyburn, the highest ranking african-american, xavier

becerra, the highest ranking latino lawmaker, and maryland's chris van hollen, harkening back to the grand bargain that failed to take hold during earlier debt negotiations, pelosi called for both major entitlement cuts and increased taxes. meanwhile, there is a new face among the gop's group of presidential hopefuls. texas governor rick perry. but he hasn't officially declared yet, so he couldn't take part in last night's debate in iowa where eight republican rivals went head-to-head on the issues only to find common ground in their criticism of president obama. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: only republican candidates in the fox debate in iowa saved their best shots for president obama. >> our president simply doesn't understand how to lead. >> and the message is this. you are finished in 2012. >> reporter: mitt romney in iowa for the first time since may got heckled. >> you came here to listen to the people. >> look, obama-care was patterned after the mitt plan in

massachusetts. >> reporter: fighting to keep his campaign alive tim pawlenty had vowed no more timidity. he clashed with michele bachmann. >> in congress her record of accomplishment and results is nonexistent. >> people are looking for a champion. they want someone who's been fighting. >> if that's your view of effective leadership with results, please stop, because you're killing us. >> reporter: tea party favorite texas governor rick perry made clear he's going to run. perry's move mocked by a fellow texan. >> i'm very pleased that he's coming in because he represents the status quo. >> reporter: all the debaters did agree to oppose tax hikes, but this has been the most contentious debate. saturday comes the iowa straw poll that's sure to knock some participants out of the race. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, ames, iowa. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in california an unmanned hyper

sonic glider was launched on a rocket from vandenberg air force base. it was the military's second try to fly the fastest airplane ever built. part of the plan for technology to reach a threat in any part of the globe in just an hour. the small sphere-shaped craft collected nine minutes of data before its signal was lost. it's believed it crashed into the pacific ocean. elsewhere in california a team of stanford students designed what they hope is the fastest solar panels on wheels. the $500,000 car will compete at the world's solar challenge in australia. amazingly, the space-aged looking roadster is completely gas-free. finally, an annual tradition at the keys county fair in nebraska. the clash of the combines. this year five farmers competed for a few thousand dollars as well as bragging rights for the sturdiest souped-up farm side. despite the beating they take in the derby, some machines survive to compete another year. very cool. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel

forecast. what did you think about that? >> i think that's different. that's definitely unique. it fits nebraska. maybe iowa does it, too. neat. good morning, everyone. this weekend is going to shape up as pretty decent if not a little warmer in many locations in the west. in the middle of the country is where our stormy weather is. the big heat wave in the middle of the nation, that heat has weakened. that will raise temperatures up ever so slightly. as far as storminess goes, there's not much out there. we'll increase clouds in the pacific northwest. that's really the worst of it. starting off clear skies in most locations. still hot in the desert. clouds in southern california. but lots of sunshine throughout the intermountain west. really not watching anything that will cause travel headaches out there. you need the sunscreen and the sunglasses. temperatures have cooled off in the coastal areas. mid-50s in seattle. that's actually a little brisk. temperature 56 in san francisco.

we've continued the trend, but a couple of degrees warmer should feel nice. portland at 75 should be okay. l.a. close to 80 on the coast. interior l.a. should be in the mid-80s. las vegas there 99. salt lake city and boise is where the real warm-up is. the weekend forecast coming up. >> i didn't see cancun in your forecast. what happened? >> just in case you're going there, you'll have to wait for the forecast. more on wall street's wild ride. why your food costs may be heading higher and the car to buy with all that dispossessable income you might have? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead.

plus, it's from a best selling book and stars a red hot actress, but can it take the number one spot at the box office? coming up, the yankees slam the door. football is back. and tiger is back, too. but before you knew it, he was gone.

good morning to you. welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. in a notice to employees, the u.s. postal service says it's considering cutting as many as 120,000 jobs and switching from federal retirement and health plans to its own benefit system. the financially strapped agency says it will be insolvent next month due to significant declines in mail volume and high benefits costs. in response to this week's rioting in england, prime minister david cameron is proposing blocking social media websites to deal with any future cases of unrest. critics blasted the plan calling it an assault on freedom of speech.

scientists say that they have discovered a distant jupiter-sized planet that's darker than any planet or moon ever seen. the so-called darker than coal planet is so hot it emits a faint red glow like a burning ember. in china it took 651 pounds of explosives to bring down a chimney said to be one of the two tallest in asia. look at that. the blast was so powerful it caused damage to nearby homes and businesses. and it was a wild 24 hours for some plant employees in canada. ten newly laidoff workers along with eight others found out they won a lottery jackpot worth 7 million canadian dollars or $400,000 apiece. good for them. now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,143 after zooming up 423 points. the s&p jumped 51.

the nasdaq up by 111. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo the nikkei lost 18 points, but in hong kong the hang seng added 24. as we reported earlier, in what's being called a bungee market and a whipsaw week, stocks rode the roller coaster back up yesterday. never before has it had four 400 swings in a row. the last time the s&p 500 had four straight 400 point swings was in the depth of the 2008 financial crisis. gold fell a whopping $32.80 an ounce. oil jumped more than 3% which pushed exxonmobil back up above apple as the nation's most valuable company. wall street's so-called fear index fell, but it's still more than double where it was in early july at 22% this week. the surge came largely thanks to people filing for unemployment benefits last week falling below 400,000 for the first time in four months.

tech bellwether cisco also helped with quarterly profits topping expectations and a rosy forecast. cisco soared 16%. helping in europe france's nicolas sarkozy and angela merkel will meet on debt next tuesday. all three leading credit rating agency reaffirmed france's aaa rating. and several markets imposed a short-term ban on short selling stocks. after the bell the video store on quarterly expectations. bad news for next year's foot prices. the government says the hot summer damaged much of this year's corn crop. finally a 1955 ferrari 750 monza spider, one of only 15 ever built and raced by fred astaire in a movie goes on auction soon. it's expected to fetch up to $3.25 million, just in case you have that lying around. tiger's troubles continue. a bobble sinks the mets. believe it or not, it is time for football.

plus robinson cano puts the yankees back in first place. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. unfortunately, over the weekend heavy rain is going to move from the middle of the country to the east coast. we're looking at wash-outs. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

very good morning to you. if you are just waking up, this is "early today." in sports a day game in new york yesterday was anything but heavenly for california's angels. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the first place red sox had the night off and the yankees took full advantage. taking on the angels. robinson at the plate, and that one is not coming back. a grand slam gave the yanks a 6-2 lead, and they would need every one of those runs. new york won it 6-5. they're now a game back in the a.l. east. albert pujols a one-man wrecking crew against the brewers. a perfect 4 for 4 with a home run and a pair of rbis. they're just back of milwaukee with a 4-2 win. nothing has been going right for the mets this season. that continued last night. he grounded to short. rubin tejada, but he booted it. in came the go-ahead run, and that error was the difference. padres won it 3-2. tiger woods stumbled last week at bridgestone, and

yesterday at the pga championship he fell flat on his face. after a great start, the wheels simply fell off. tiger couldn't get hit a fairway. but had no problem hitting everything else. the tall grass, water, sand, five bogeys, three double bogeys. worst opening round in a major. at this rate he will have all weekend to work on his swing because he won't make the cut. steve stricker is your leader at 7 under. finally, we have held you in suspense long enough. there was nfl football last night, and even though it's only preseason, it was a welcome sight. the eagles are locked and loaded to make a run at the super bowl. michael vick connected with brent celek for the only touchdown of the game. they beat the ravens 13-6. forget the quarterback controversy between horton and tim tebow in denver. brady quinn last night. steve mcgehee, duane harris. dallas down. they would go for the win in a two-point conversion. mcgehee scrambled. scrambled. found martin rucker in the end zone. it's only the preseason.

cowboys won it 24-23. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin. can the apes hang in there at the box office? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, it's an animal we all take for granted until one falls into a 15 foot well. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this friday morning to "early today." a look at your weekend forecast. the interior west will be warmer than the last couple of days. 96 in boise, 95 salt lake city. vegas and phoenix your typical summer heat. we still have morning clouds to deal with. as you look at saturday, clouds will increase a little bit in the northwest. a little system trying to move in, a little frontal system. temperatures will continue to be on the mild side in the interior. coastal areas still cool. best i can do for you in san fran, 62. if you're watching us in seattle, washington, in nearby tacoma, eegyptian artifacts at the search for the essential mummy at the washington state historical society. that's your event of the day. sounds good. now here's an early look at headlines in entertainment. a classic battle of the champion versus eager newcomers is shaping up at the box office this weekend. the defending champ is "planet

of the apes" which outperformed expectations last weekend. experts thing in defense of its top spot, it should take in at least $25 million. the challenger is the debut of "the help." based on the best seller, it boasts great reviews, and its buzz could see it earning as much as 25 million this weekend and the top spot if the apes falter. "final destination" where you can't cheat death always kills it at the box office. ba-bump-bump. could surprise the front runners. another possibility, "30 minutes or less" starring jesse eisenberg. it's expected to finish in the low teen millions, and glee, the 3-d concert movie featuring the cast from the show, also debuts and might break into the double digit millions. i saw you roll your eyes a couple times there. >> thank goodness, i don't have a teenaged girl because i'd probably have to go see the glee movie. >> what about the jesse

eisenberg film, no? >> rental for me. >> not so much. >> i'd rent it maybe. >> this comes to us from wxii 12 in winston/salem, north carolina. one crew can say they did their job until the cows, or more accurately, the cow came home. it took the hard work team three hours to get a cow unstuck from a well 15 feet deep. no expense was spared as firefighters used ropes and pulleys to help the calf, the same tools used when a person is trapped. the lucky cow walked away with only a scratch. lucky. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today" just the first stop today on your nbc station.

building a new railway station, designers in the netherlands drew their inspiration from the playground. they've incorporated a slide into their design, remodeling the once dreary train station, brightening up the commuters' routine. look at that. sure, an escalator probably would have done the same job, but the slide is cheaper, faster and, hey, a lot more fun, right? yeah. in brazil they hold a very different kind of beauty pageant. it's a competition known as mr. elderly. 65 men signed up to show off their dance moves and awards were given for best smile, elegance and even the most shy. that guy is definitely not shy. organizers say it's a way to promote positive self-esteem among the elderly.

this year's crown was taken by a retired over-60 electrician. if you hate parallel parking, there's a guy in germany you should probably take lessons from. check this out. he managed to squeeze his volkswagen into a space just a little overly ten inches longer than his car. that was good enough to set a new world record. briefly. because shortly after a man in china fit into a spot with under ten inches to spare breaking the german's world record. gosh darn. >> getting into the spot without hitting the other cars. i have definitely gotten into tight spots like that before, but i pushed the car ahead of mine. >> uh-huh. time for an early look at the stories we're going to follow throughout the day here on nbc. 2,000 children and teenagers are expected to participate in the united nations international youth day in lower manhattan with music, dance and other performances. the annual festivities began in 2000 to celebrate the more than 1 billion young people around the world.

the perseid meteor shower will peak tonight. it is considered the best annual meteor shower. nasa will be hosting an online chat with a team of astronomers to answer questions in honor of the event. on this day in 1994, baseball's two-day strike began leading to the cancellation of that year's world series. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news". and final, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. after the gop's heated presidential debate in iowa last night, this morning michele bachmann takes on her critics in an exclusive interview. and the zac brown band comes to the plaza for the "today" summer concert series. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you very much for watching

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